It’s May; we shouldn’t have to worry about heat – yet. Even with today’s technology, it seems the first heat event always sneaks up on us, and it can be costly.

Every time you process your cattle, you have an opportunity to impact Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) for good or for ill. Your goal as owner and manager should be to impact it for the better.

When National Beef Quality audits from three decades ago began revealing bruised carcasses and primals, butchers and retailers told industry representatives there was a problem – cancer in their beef cattle.

At the “Wagyu Olympics” in northern Japan last fall, Wagyu cattle from across the country competed for supreme standing among Japan’s most coveted cattle breed.

Two major anchor stores in our local mall closed last month. In a healthy economy like ours, some might do some soul searching as to why two significant retailers would leave town. But that’s not necessary if you look at these two companies up close.

China is refusing to give ground as trade talks with the U.S. reach a standoff. What started out as trade negotiations quickly escalated into a tariff tennis volley with U.S. exports, many of them agricultural, caught in the crossfire.

In March, Congress passed and President Trump signed the $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill, formally called the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018.

This month, beef production for 2018 was revised downward by 40 million pounds to 27.69 billion pounds. In part, this change reflects a combination of slower-than-expected slaughter and lighter cattle weights in the first quarter.

As a young child, I remember my dad saying, “Children should be seen and not heard.” It was his way of telling me and my siblings or friends to tone it down, as we were most likely getting on his nerves with loud, high-pitched sounds of laughter and playing.

For centuries, farmers have determined a cow’s age by the number and wear of its teeth. Beef processors currently examine the number of permanent incisors present at harvest.